Call of Friendship
by barricadeboyznthehood
Summary: Five times Mike Warren sought advice from the Graceland house mates, one time he found the answer he was looking for. Notes: This is after the Second Episode. It's a suspended in time before the third episode sort of situation. So, imagine this happens before the third episode without effecting what actually happens in the third episode.
1. Chapter 1

Mike needed advice and he needed it fast. He had only been in Graceland for a week, enough days that Paige returned from her job and Mike and Briggs had sealed the deal for both operations. Yet, it wasn't enough time for Mike to, as Johnny put it, "get a feel" for the house and the people. He was walking into a well-oiled machine that he disrupted, he had unknowingly pushed people out (Donny, as Lauren constantly reminded him) even though it really wasn't his fault or his wish in the first place. His assignment wasn't his first choice but like all good top of the class Agents, he listened to his superiors. He wanted real experience. He wasn't going to let a random-though he knew it wasn't random but purposeful- assignment get his mood down. Perhaps, he could work on his tan and he was learning Spanish better than he had tried to learn in high school when he opted after a year to take French.

Again, Mike reminded himself that he wasn't here to observe the different departments working together; rather, to investigate Paul Briggs, his supposed hero turned So-Cal tai bo instructor. I can't go to him. Mike reminded himself, He'd know what I'm up to. He'll think I can't handle this.

The first person that popped into Mike's mind was Johnny. Despite his jokes, Mike felt an instant connection with Johnny and hoped they could become friends, well, as much as two fellow FBI agents could. Graceland was mostly empty. It was a sprawling modern used to be drug lord mansion that created seclusion spaces for those who liked their hideaways and open glass fields for those who craved constant attention and camaraderie. Mike knew where to find Johnny, in the kitchen.

He was surprised however when he heard gunshots. Mike stiffened but his immediate response was to run towards the sound. He heard two more shots, then cursing, then a groan. Worried, Mike ran towards the sound, scaling down the stairs two steps at a time.

He remembered the Graceland rule of NO GUNS DOWNSTAIRS.

Shit, really? Mike thought, thinking this was one of those times the rules had to be broken. He inwardly cringed, searching for his handgun but finding it not on his person.

Another shot.

More swearing.

He ran.

Then, laughter. Johnny in the family room next to the kitchen with a headset on, a controller in his hand, fingers frantically pressing buttons.

"Dude, you follow the rules?" Johnny scoffed into the microphone pressed against his cheek, "That's wack. You don't follow the rules man, this isn't some campaign trial." He paused, "Why, you got a girl there? I bet you do." He chuckled lowly and shook his head when he was asked a question Mike couldn't hear.

Mike stood there, the worry still evident on his face. He cleared his throat and Johnny turned around, smiling brightly when he saw Mike. He paused the game and told the invisible person,

"Yo, catch ya later. Yeah, yeah, Tuesday. Three p.m. The pier." He shut off the console and the TV. He turned to face Mike,

"Man, you look like you just ate some really bad burritos." He paused, "And no, not from Hector's cause everything there is good." He gave Mike a pointed look with his dark eyes.

Mike swallowed thickly and sat down next to Johnny on the couch. Johnny scooted to accommodate him and he took his headset off, "Bro, what's wrong?" He asked with laughter still in his voice.

"Um," Mike cleared his voice, "I…need advice."

Johnny's eyes widened for a moment out of curiosity and he smirked, "Is it on how to be as ripped and awesome as me?" He paused, "Cause you know, you should live out on the beach if you wanna at least get a Spring break tan." He reminded the white boy from the East coast, "Is it about the no girls upstairs rule?" He looked at Mike, "Cause, I know it sucks, but we have to have it for obvious reasons."

"No, no, not about that." Mike shook his head and laughed nervously, "Though, I may ask you about that stuff later." He joked, "It's…."

"About Briggs?" Johnny raised an eyebrow, "Look, I know he's not the guy you thought he was but people change. They change their identities, their covers, Briggs is the way he is because he has to be." He paused as he saw that really wasn't the answer Mike was looking for.

Johnny's cell phone rang and when he saw the number he stood up hurriedly, "Yo, I gotta take this man, sorry. " He grabbed a bag and his sunglasses and opened up a sliding glass door, "Uh," He gave Mike an apologetic look and glanced at his watch, "We'll talk later." He reassured Mike but the young Agent wasn't so sure that Johnny would even be back before their daily beers on the beach.

Mike just nodded, reassuring Johnny that everything was alright when it really wasn't. He went off in search of a new person with advice.

Unfortunately for both parties involved, that was Crazy Jakes or DJ.


	2. Get the Fuck Out of my Space

Mike sat in the kitchen, a little dejected that Johnny had left him with more questions than answers. He wanted to ask him things that weren't about Briggs but involved Briggs. He was worried that trusting people and opening up to them would only show his weakness. He realized he probably was the rookie kid they all thought he was.

Against his better judgment, he opened up DJ's or Crazy Jake's orange juice and poured himself a glass. If Jakes complained, he'd just buy him two more cartons. Mike sighed into the glass as he drank the juice and felt the bitterness hit his tongue.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He heard DJ's booming voice remind him that was in fact, his orange juice that Mike was drinking.

"I, uh," Mike stuttered, setting his glass down loudly on the kitchen countertop and rising to meet Jakes. "Johnny's not here." He answered and Jakes's pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, "What does that have to do with my orange juice, Levi?" He asked him, sighing at the fact, and taking the half-emptied carton from him.

"He had a job, I think and I was just about to ask him for advice…"Mike trailed off nervously.

"Advice?" Jakes's laughed at this but he sobered up his expression when he saw how in need of it Mike was. "What about?" He asked hesitantly, "Not that I care about your scrawny ass or anything but Johnny isn't the person you should be going to."

Mike looked saddened by this fact but he knew in his heart that what Jakes's said was true. Johnny could be sagely and Zen but he wasn't what Mike needed right now.

"You think I'm going to sit here with you and give you advice?" He said sarcastically as Mike looked at him expectantly, "Boy, get your ass outta here and get me some more orange juice."

He felt a semi-twinge of guilt enter his body as he saw how dejected Mike looked. Whoa, something must really be eating at him, Jakes's thought and he pursed his lips.

"Just stay the hell outta my way but if you ever need advice, not that I'd give it to you, but you could give that sad puppy dog look out the window while I drink my orange juice and you have some time to yourself to think, alright?" He raised an eyebrow as if to ask if this was acceptable enough to the young agent.

Mike nodded and gave a weak smile, "Thanks Dale." He noted.

"Don't call me Dale." He reminded him, "It's Jakes's, okay Levi?" He stressed Mike's nickname with a sardonic smile before he took another sip of his orange juice and stood up from the counter. He rapped the countertop with his knuckles to get Mike's attention and he smiled at him, "Stay the hell outta my way."

Again, Mike was left with more questions than answers. He heard a voice he didn't really recognize until he listened to the chattering of a Korean pop song wafting through the house. Paige, the newest member, well not the newest but the only person he didn't really know. Maybe she could shed some light on this whole operation.


	3. Don't Cha

Paige was dancing to some Korean pop song playing from her I-pod. She danced into the kitchen until she happened upon a very worried looking Mike. She had only met him once in that bar with the pig of a guy they had finally arrested. She didn't really get to talk to him that much at the bonfire either. She was still wearing the same fedora Mike remembered.

"Hey, didn't see you there." She said with a quick smile, brushing away the blond hair from her face and taking out her earphones. "I, um, I'm Paige." She re-introduced herself and looked at Mike expectantly, "Levi, right?" She gave nervous laughter that to Mike sounded charming nonetheless.

He seemed upset by this and reminded her, "Mike." But she still called him Levi said it was Graceland protocol that he knew she was making up.

"So, you helped me get Bobby, thanks." She told Mike appreciatively, "He was taking forever, in more ways than one." She joked about the conversation in the bathroom about the birth control pills. "I was just about to get some Hector's, it's sorta a tradition of mine, I didn't know if you wanted to come?" She asked softly, extending the hand of friendship, and, Mike was cute. However, Paige thought everyone was cute.

Mike shook his head, giving her a smile, "Thanks though, some other time I'm sure." He told her, feeling stupid that he didn't go with her as she walked out, earphones in place and dancing against to her song. He hoped she'd extend the offer again. Right now, he wasn't in the best of moods and he needed to talk to someone.


	4. Yes, Sir

"Mike, what are you doing?" Paul Briggs, the last man Mike wanted to talk to right now, appeared from the front door and walked into the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be out running or something?" He teased, "Johnny will beat your record of earliest wake up soon."

Mike didn't say anything, he just studied Briggs for a moment, "Why'd you change the plan?" He asked Briggs, "I know you were trying to teach me to NOT go by the book, but, I was honest. I said I didn't trust you, was that some backwards way of getting me to trust you?" He asked.

"Yes," Briggs answered curtly, nodding in confirmation at Mike's words, "You need to learn that we're not all that we seem. It's difficult living in a house with three different agencies. We all have our agendas but we have to work towards a common goal." He paused, "It's difficult separating yourself from people and relaying on them at the same time but you're going to have to deal with it, for your own sake and for the agencies." He sternly reminded Mike, clapping him on the back and walking towards the fridge to grab a water bottle, "The sooner you learn that, the better." He continued, "Trust no one but yourself but trust them enough to be honest with people."

Mike listened intently, nodding in agreement though he always trusted everyone, "Yes, sir." He responded, feeling close to wanting to call his parents, but he knew he couldn't. He had no one to talk openly with. They were all agents. They were all spies. All their lives were lies. How could Mike deal with that?

As he felt himself slipping, from tiredness or disappointment, Mike heard a voice say, "What's wrong kid?"


	5. Just what I needed

"Charlie." Mike said, startled but happy to see her. She wasn't wearing her case clothes that consisted of either homeless attire or tight sequined dresses; she was wearing running shorts and a loose t-shirt. Her hair was actually tied back for once in a wavy ponytail and her sunglasses were pushed up back like a headband.

"Where is everyone?" She asked, looking towards the living room and then towards the small whiteboard they had hanging that detailed their aliases schedule.

"Johnny's out on a job, Jakes's was here but I think he went to get OJ, Paige went to Hector's and Lauren's probably in her room…."Mike trailed off,

"Being boring." Charlie finished his sentence with a small smirk. She placed her hand on the countertop before sitting on the barstool, "So, what's up?" She looked worriedly at Mike, "Gaga over Paige, yet?" She teased but there was hesitation in her voice, almost like she didn't want the answer to the question.

Before he could give her an answer, Charlie added, "Everyone is. Even Briggs." She pursed her lips at this as if to say –I'll tell you about that later.

Mike snorted derisively.

Charlie could see that her young agent was still troubled so she turned the bar stool to face him, "did something happen?" She continued," You shouldn't worry about Briggs. He pulled stunts like that on us all the time, to see if we could be trusted, if we really knew what we were doing, if we could handle it." Her dark eyes glanced over at Mike's ocean blue. "It's almost routine." She reassured him.

"But how can you live with that?" He whispered, "Its one thing at Quanitco, to have teachers, to have authority, to have a schedule and classes and expectations." He rambled, "But here, it's….almost a half a life. We're not really normal but we're not entirely special." He paused, looking at her, "It's a job but then it's a government job. We have our safety to be concerned about and the nation's safety. I don't know which one to care about first."

Charlie furrowed her brows at this, "Yourself."

Mike raised an eyebrow.

"It seems selfish but if you care about other people's safety first, you'll do your job wrong. You'll make stupid mistakes. The more efficient and alert you are, the more you'll help them." She paused to make sure he understood, "Okay, Mike?" She said softly. "You care about others, that's a requirement in our field, but most people lose sight of it. They get wrapped up in their cover or they become paranoid or they become isolated like Jakes or they become too involved like Lauren. " She paused, "They don't really live. They're always worried and that's no way to survive." She reminded him.

Mike seemed appreciative and disheartened by the news, "I just….."He trailed off, "I knew things would be difficult but everything they taught me at Quantico seems so…..unrealistic, so untrue, idealistic almost."

Charlie shook her head, "We need idealists like you, Mikey." She called him that affectionately, "You can't get bogged down by all this bad mojo. You have to strive for something better, within yourself and for the world you participate in."

Mike smiled at her, "Who knew you were so good at giving advice."

"All the girls in the bathroom in high school who were either puking their guts out or talking shit about their boyfriends, I got everyone on the path to enlightenment." She joked.

Charlie tightened her pony tail and patted Mike's arm, "I'm going running, shocker, I know but you and Johnny have inspired me." She looked out towards the window, "Plus, you need to tan, not burn. You won't do that by sitting in here."

"But…."Mike seemed as though he didn't want her to answer the question he had been trying to post to everyone, "Will it be okay?" He whispered.

And in that moment, Charlie knew what he meant. Flashes of her newbie life passed before her, her teachers, her mentors, her parents, her brother, her friends. Mike was right, they lived half a life. They were within and without so many realms. Someone was bound to lose their sanity or question their loyalties in this line of work.

"Yes." She lied, giving him the most genuine smile she could muster. She knew he'd have to distinguish between lies eventually, the fake ones given by fake people and the ones true friends didn't want to tell.

She wrapped him up in a hug, pulling him from the kitchen where he stood and out towards the beach.

"You'll be okay." She whispered once more into his ear, kissing his cheek reassuringly and running her thumb across the skin where she had just kissed. "I promise."

Mike knew that Charlie was lying. When she lied, she always looked straight at him with such sadness, as if her words would break them. They did. He needed reassurance but he knew Charlie had given him the answer he didn't want to hear but needed to hear. For a few seconds, he was reassured when Charlie's lips brushed against his skin sending a surge of warmth throughout his body and letting his mind stop with worries. He was reassured that she kept his promises, he was sure that she kept her promises no matter what. Mike Warren hoped that it didn't come at a price.

He hoped that she wasn't forgetting about her own safety and forsaking it for the safety she would bestow onto him. Nevertheless, he knew it was the latter and he was scared for Charlie. Would she lose her sense of self for him?

Mike Warren followed Charlie out into the bright sunshine that made him squint. She grabbed his hand, just for a moment, her thumb running across his skin before she started to jog, calling out to him that she wasn't going to help put aloe on his back for when he peeled later.


End file.
